Portable electronic devices such as notebook computers are increasingly being provided with a slot for receiving an IC card constructed in accordance with JEIDA and PCMCIA (personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standards. Under such standards, IC card has a card length of about 86 mm, a card width of about 54 mm, and a card thickness of about 5 mm. A variety of IC cards are available, including those with considerable memory so that data can be stored in a card and the data transferred to or from the electronic device and the card. The portable electronic devices may have other input/output ports.
It is often necessary to transfer data between the portable electronic device and a second device such a printer, desk top computer, etc. One technique for such transfer is to provide an IC card with a connector at its rear end, and a cable with one end that plugs into the card and another end that plugs into the second electronic device. Cables can be clumsy and inconvenient, and are not preferred for many of the same reasons that they are not generally used to connect a remote television control to a television set Cables can be eliminated by connecting infrared emitter/detector units through short cables to each of the two electronic devices. However, in the case of the first electronic device, which may be a small portable computer, it can be annoying to have to store such a unit wit its cable and to separately support the first electronic device and the unit An infrared communication system for connecting electronic devices, where one of Me devices has a slot for receiving an IC card, which minimized efforts in storage and set up for infrared data communications, would be of value.